— Note: Healing City Baltimore is an OSI-supported initiative. —
By Daniela Altimari
A Baltimore law requires agencies that interact with children and families to receive training in trauma-informed care. It’s changing how the city engages with residents, with a greater emphasis on healing rather than hardline policies.
The Baltimore public library system used to take a hard line on truancy: children and teens who came into a library building during school hours were asked for documentation to show why they weren’t in class.
But the Covid-19 pandemic and a new focus by city agencies in Baltimore on the toxic effects of trauma have led library officials to reexamine their punitive approach.